'Probably no benefit' to this popular supplement: expert

Save your cash — you can skip this capsule.

A biochemist is warning that a mineral often slipped into multivitamins and sold as a dietary supplement likely won’t supercharge your workouts or control your blood sugar, no matter what the label claims.

In fact, he argues it has “no proven health benefits,” even if it’s considered an essential nutrient.

Trivalent chromium — one form of the heavy metal chromium — can be found in small doses in whole grains, vegetables, meats and nuts.

As a supplement, it’s promoted as a tool to help the body convert glucose into energy more efficiently. Supporters say it can help regulate blood sugar, boost lean muscle mass, reduce body fat and enhance athletic performance.

But the science backing up these claims is suspect, according to Neil Marsh, a biochemistry professor at the University of Michigan.

“Eight decades of research have resulted in slim evidence that people derive any significant health benefits from this mineral,” he wrote in the Conversation last week.

Other trace elements considered essential to the human diet have a large body of research supporting their role in our health.

“Iron, for example, is essential for carrying oxygen in your blood, and many proteins — complex molecules that carry out all of the functions necessary for life — require iron to function properly,” Marsh explained.

Chromium, however, hasn’t earned that same status. Despite being labeled an essential trace element, Marsh noted that biochemists still haven’t identified any specific function in the body that depends on it.

Adding to the skepticism: chromium deficiency is extremely rare in the US.

“This scenario is usually only seen in populations where there is malnutrition, or acute illness that would lead to deficiency of many nutrients, not just chromium,” Devon Peart, a registered dietitian, told the Cleveland Clinic in 2023.

“We don’t have evidence to show that people don’t get enough chromium. Or … if they are low in it, that it causes health problems,” she added.

Iron, by contrast, has a clearly established role — and the consequences of deficiency are well understood. It can lead to anemia, a condition marked by fatigue, weakness, headaches and brittle nails, all of which can be effectively treated with iron supplements.

So where did chromium’s reputation come from? Marsh traces it back to a series of studies in the 1950s.

In one influential trial, researchers fed lab rats a diet that produced symptoms resembling Type 2 diabetes. When chromium was added back into their food, the symptoms disappeared — sparking interest in chromium as a possible treatment for blood sugar disorders.

“Today’s widespread claims that chromium is important for regulating blood sugar can be traced to these experiments,” Marsh wrote. “Unfortunately, these early experiments were very flawed by today’s standards.”

More rigorous studies in years since have delivered mixed results. Some showed a slight improvement in blood sugar control among rats given chromium supplements; others found no meaningful difference.

What researchers did find, Marsh noted, was that rats raised on chromium-free diets remained perfectly healthy.

Still, the US government recommends adults consume about 30 micrograms of chromium per day.

That guidance comes from a 2001 report by the Institute of Medicine.

But according to Marsh, the recommendation wasn’t based on strong scientific evidence.

Instead, it relied on estimates of how much chromium Americans were already consuming.

“Notably, much of this chromium is leached from stainless steel cookware and food processing equipment, rather than coming from our food,” Marsh wrote.

“So, while there may not be confirmed health risks from taking chromium supplements, there’s probably no benefit either,” he added.

The National Institutes of Health hasn’t revisited its chromium guidelines in the 24 years since issuing its recommendation on daily intake. But other health agencies have taken a harder look.

In 2014, the European Food Safety Authority’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies found no convincing evidence that chromium is essential to human health — or that consuming it provides any benefits in healthy people.

As a result, the panel concluded that setting recommended intake levels for the mineral was “not appropriate.”